Combining different game genres can be a trick process; we have seen games with action mixed with adventure elements, along with action-RPG combos. It's rare that a first person shooter can be merged with real time strategy but developer Digital Reality and new publisher Freeze Interactive want to do just that with their upcoming modern military themed game Field Ops. FiringSquad got a chance to chat with Freeze Interactive's producer Mourad Majeri and Digital Reality's lead designer Zolt Kovari to find out more about Field Ops.

FiringSquad: First, how did the idea for Field Ops come about?

Zolt Kovari: Well firstly there was Ghost Wars, basically a classic RTS game with only a small and limited sniper mode in FPS, an old project that had been cancelled more than one year ago by its troubled Publisher (Hip Interactive, which went bankrupt) and thus will never be released as is. Field Ops is a totally different title which is much more ambitious. Field Ops sports a much more sophisticated First Person Shooter mode. Graphics, AI, physics are outstanding in both modes. Field Ops is the first Real-Tips strategy shooter, a genuine mix of RTS and FPS genres. If we’re taking a different approach to compare the 2 games, the code features that were included in Ghost Wars were also completely remade. Field Ops’s stunning situational AI, physics system and control system required us to completely rethink the game’s coding: we made it again and put it together, starting from scratch. All of these fundamental changes were made together with our Publisher, Freeze Interactive, and lead to the complete redesign of basically everything.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the fictional back story for the game?

Mourad Majeri: The plot is set in a realistic, plausible world, with US Special Forces pursuing an extremely cunning and dangerous terrorist organization. All the motives, actions and counter operations are based on real world events and locations. If I may reveal a secret - quite many of the events in our plot have actually happened in the meantime: thankfully most being prevented by US Secret Services. So much for realism in the plot………….. All of Field Ops’ weapons and vehicles will be familiar to true lovers of realistic video games. Unlike other traditional RTS games, there are real bullets flying around in Field Ops - it's a truly dangerous world.  

FiringSquad: How hard is it to merge RTS and FPS styles into a modern military game?  

Mourad Majeri: It was obviously one of the big challenges of this project. A technical challenge first, but also a design challenge. At the beginning of the project, we did not say to ourselves :”hey, let’s do something that has never been done like this, let’s mix RTS and FPS, it should be cool”. We did not want to do a “gadget” game either. We wanted to bring to players a totally new and realistic experience of a modern conflict. And we thought that the best way to fully experience a conflict was to be able to be the commander AND the soldier on the battlefield. The best way to be a commander and to set up tactics and strategies is to play in RTS mode, the best way to live the action on the field is to play in FPS mode. So we decided that our game needed to allow the player to play at anytime either in FPS or RTS, and that it was the best, and probably the only, way to bring to players this feeling of fully living the battle from every angle. So when you have this obsession in mind, you work very hard and make it happen. And it worked! Now it’s so easy and smooth to move from one mode to another that you forget about the amount of work that was necessary in terms of design and technology. Just click on one unit, and you move from RTS to FPS view in less than half a second. Press enter and you move back to RTS mode. Click on a military vehicle then press Enter and you get direct control in third person view of the tank, buggy or chopper you have selected, and start driving and blowing everything around !

FiringSquad: What will the single player campaign be like in terms of missions and locations?

Mourad Majeri: During their time in Field Ops, players will explore no less than 4 different locations, starting from the golden shores of the Cuban Republic in the Caribbean, unraveling a puzzling mystery just to be betrayed among the ill-omened ruins of the Ghost City in Chernobyl, Ukraine. Then they’ll be pursuing an apparition through the war ravaged, barren wastelands of Afghanistan, to finally return to the States for the final confrontation. All settings are presented in such graphical detail, which is unprecedented in the RTS genre.

FiringSquad: What will the player classes be like?

Mourad Majeri: Both the US Forces, embodied by the members of a secret anti-terrorist government organization called the Special Operations Group, and the Terrorists, making appearance in both forms resembling to respectable citizens and of those never concealing their real intentions are divided along the same lines. A sort of basic units can be found on both sides, serving as the backbone of their sides, like the SpecOP on the US and the Rebel on the Terror side, along with the roles of Heavy Machine Gunner, Missile Launcher, Sniper units, and of course many more. Both sides have exclusive units as well, such as the armed robot of the US or the fanatic suicide bomber of the terrorists.  

FiringSquad: Can you describe how the actual gameplay works in Field Ops, particularly the merging of two game genres?

Mourad Majeri: It is entirely up to the player - he can be the great strategical mastermind, just as he can play as a single member of the commando. In most of the cases, a mission can be completed by using exclusively RTS or FPS/TPS modes, but it will soon turn out that the best approach is the combination of the two. Having a trusty rifle and good aim may not once prove insufficient against our sophisticated enemy AI, orchestrating assaults from multiple directions. Also, controlling units in RTS can turn out to be less precise than the pinpoint accuracy of the trusty FPS aiming.

Zolt Kovari: In fact, switching between the two game modes is absolutely self explanatory - simply choose a unit you like, hit the Enter key and you're in First Person View. Do the same with a vehicle and you’ll end up in TPS. Balancing between the game modes depends on two crucial factors - the player will be presented with situations especially crafted for both (e.g.: use a sniper in FPS to clear enemies from rooftops or command several units to evade an oncoming enemy attack), but basically it all comes down to the style he prefers to play. In general, for fast action and precise maneuvers FPS mode fits best, but nothing beats RTS in repelling simultaneous attacks from multiple directions or closing in on the enemy.

FiringSquad: What multiplayer options will the game have?

Mourad Majeri: We have put a lot of effort in the multiplayer part of Field Ops. At the launch of the game, you will have access to 10 multiplayer maps. This will just be a beginning of course! You will have three multiplayer modes, the bomb run, the VIP and the Conquer mode, which are very unusual in RTS games!

One of the very cool aspects of Field Ops in Multiplayer is that you will be able to play, if you wish, in RTS while your buddy in the same team plays in FPS. Think about this : if you are a big fan of FPS games who generally never plays RTS, and you have a friend who normally never plays FPS games but only RTS, you will be able for the first time to play with or against him, whereas you would normally never play the game! There will be a lot of other innovative features in Field Ops multiplayer modes that we will disclose later in the development of the game.

FiringSquad: What other important gameplay features will Field Ops have?  

Mourad Majeri: Due to the great expectations stemming from the combination of three so fundamentally different genres (RTS, TPS and FPS), a sophisticated computer AI was needed to handle the case. In fact, there is little difference between player-controlled and enemy AI units as there is nothing more disappointing in a fierce clash than idle soldiers seen through a scope. AI controlled soldiers take advantage of covers dynamically, shoot out from behind corners, get around buildings if they can perform a backwards surprise attack that way and also excel in taking advantage of different weapons As a trivial example, if five or more player-controlled soldiers are stationed together, the AI is inclined to throw a grenade at them, but it can issue a command of throwing a smoke grenade to provide cover for a tactical withdraw of his units.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the graphics engine for the game and its features?

Zolt Kovari: We are pushing the third generation of our Walker 3D engine to the limit, allowing players immediate jumps from RTS to FPS/TPS views without slowdowns. This multi-purpose technology allowed us the implement the visuals of an FPS game into Field Ops without performance drop. Freeze Interactive defined an ambitious goal - providing cutting edge experience both in our RTS and FPS game modes. Not only are we bringing the visual appeal above the RTS market, but also we’re getting pretty close to what best FPS games offer to gamers: our models, textures and special effects are really outstanding. Basically, we had to match the new criteria we established, which is to create the most beautiful RTS and FPS game ever. Seeing is believing, as our team members say. Fantastic graphics and arts play a key role in Field Ops, but the physics are very important too. Our state of the art, in-house developed physics engine provides our game with unprecedented gameplay elements. There are various features at the player's disposal ranging from rolling barrel heaps down on his sworn enemies, sneaking forth in the cover of a crate that he can push with his soldier from FPS view, or even destroying armored units by blasting weighty rocks on them.

FiringSquad: Are there any plans for a beta test or demo of the game to be release prior to the game's completion?

Mourad Majeri: There will be of course at least one playable demo released prior to the game release. There will also be later this year an open beta test. We will also release very soon, later this month, video trailers showing more about FIELD OPS !

FiringSquad: What is the current status of the game's progress and when will it be released?

Mourad Majeri: Field Ops is very near alpha stage now and will be released in Q1 2007.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about Field Ops at this time

Mourad Majeri: We hope you will like Field Ops as much as we do. This is a fantastic game, very innovative, and amazingly fun to play in multiplayer. We are a small and new publisher, bringing a very special game and creating a new genre on the market, the FPS-Shooters. We are passionate about bringing new ideas and concepts. We are very proud to demonstrate that the videogames industry can still welcome innovation and newcomers, and that high quality titles can sometimes come from others than the industry giants, provided that you put a lot of passion, effort and time!

Blog + Share: Digg • Del.icio.us • Reddit • SU • furl • More: